Tumors are not islands unto themselves. They can “hijack” normal cellular processes, including inflammation, to hide from the body’s immune system. They can “re-educate” inflammatory cells to release factors that promote tumor growth and spread. The ability to peer into this malevolent microenvironment is giving researchers new ideas for stopping tumors in their tracks. read article

Inflammation is the body’s response to injury or infection. But the chemical weapons used to subdue invading microbes also can damage surrounding tissue, and contribute to diseases of chronic inflammation as diverse as arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease. By deciphering the language of inflammation, scientists hope to learn new ways to quench “the fires within.” read article

While high cholesterol levels are a major risk factor, inflammation fuels the fires of atherosclerosis. It may play an equally important role in type 2 diabetes. Better understanding of inflammation, scientists believe, will aid efforts to diagnose these diseases earlier, treat them more successfully and ultimately prevent them from occurring in the first place. read article

Aspirin had been used to relieve pain and inflammation for more than 70 years, but no one knew how the drug worked. Then in 1971, using a generous dose of “blue-sky thinking,” British pharmacologist Sir John Vane solved the mystery. His discovery illustrates the value of basic research and the freedom to ask “Why?” read article

Sir Ravinder Maini, who helped discover a new class of anti-inflammatory drugs, discusses the limitations of clinical trials, the importance of post-marketing surveillance and the value of university-industry partnerships.

In 2004, FORTUNE magazine created a stir in the research community with a cover story entitled
“Why we’re losing the war on cancer (and how to win it).”

The story’s author, Clifton Leaf, one of magazine’s executive
editors and a cancer survivor, described "a dysfunctional 'cancer culture' ... that pushes ... physicians and scientists toward the goal of tiniest
improvements in treatment rather than genuine breakthroughs."

Leaf criticized current research efforts for "isolated (and redundant)
problem-solving instead of cooperation," and for focusing on shrinking tumors instead of the more difficult problem of metastasis, which is "the thing
that kills people."

Scientists interviewed for this issue of Lens disputed the “dysfunctional” label, but they said they could
make faster progress if there were greater incentives for collaboration among researchers, clinicians and drug companies. read article

What lights the fires of chronic inflammation?
Persistent infection is the culprit in some conditions, including ulcers. There is evidence that it may play a role in multiple sclerosis and premature labor as
well. read article

Even amoebae, the
single-celled organisms thought to be one of the first forms of life on Earth, are capable of distinguishing between members of their own species and other
species they can eat. This capacity to distinguish "self" from "non-self" is what normally prevents our more complicated immune system from
attacking our own tissues. read article

Inflammation is a series of biochemical and cellular events that constitute our body’s response to infection. Inflammatory cells surround invading pathogens and generate highly reactive and toxic chemicals including Clorox (sodium hypochlorite) and chlorine gas. They also synthesize antibodies to help clear bacteria, viruses, and other noxious stimuli, and they produce a range of signaling molecules such as prostaglandins and cytokines to amplify the inflammatory response. read article

A 70-year-old diagnostic test has become the latest tool for predicting a person’s future risk of
developing cardiovascular disease. It measures levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), which is made by the liver during periods of inflammatory activity in the
body. read article

Cardiovascular disease, like cancer, is a health problem best
treated with prevention and early detection. Physicians successfully identify many at-risk patients by measuring the blood levels of markers like LDL
cholesterol. However, for many patients, their first indication of cardiovascular disease is suffering a heart attack or stroke. read article

Teamwork among scientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center during the past 35 years has contributed much to current understanding of the role of the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes and their products—the prostaglandins—in human disease. read article